I've taught a few people how to drive a manual transmission but this video may have a much broader impact! The beginning gets the newbies started and we move into Rev Matching downshifts and Heel Toe downshifts for those of you who want to hone your skills.
Hi, do you put clutch in then shift to neutral and before next gear gear give it gas as you are sliding it lower gear or clutch in next lowest gear and then gas? It probably works too but is slower?
Save the manuals! Thanks for the video tedward, driving manual is an experience like no other and satisfying in ways that automatic transmissions can't keep up with.. Just bought a manual Mazda 3 and it is amazing for the price, lovely gearbox and fun little drivers car.
Holy snaps. My 18 year old wants to take over my 2006 Evo and said he learned how to drive stick from youtube. I handed him the keys, and turns out he was not lying. He showed me the video he watched here, and I wanted to say that you did great with this video! Well done.
I'm 23, barely know anything about manual transmissions, and my dad is the original owner of a 1988 Mustang LX that he's dropped *money* into modifying. Attempting to learn how to drive it for when it's eventually passed down to me and this is by far the most helpful tutorial I've watched so far.
@@bananajoe4233 I totally forgot about this comment until you replied, so thanks lol. happy to see it got a little traction. but yeah, I've been doing my best to learn in it when I'm at my grandparents house during the summers where it's kept. first gear is a featherweight bc he dropped the gear ratio something fierce when he modded it lol. happy to say I've gotten somewhat good at shifting and I only stall once or twice from the transition between stopped/parked and first gear
Easily still the best 'youtube manual lesson' video out there. I was so focused on the explanation and video that I had no idea the video was about to end, nor did I want it to end.
I totally agree with you, rev matching is an almost necessary skill for driving a manual, but they dont teach you in driving schools, even here in europe where you learn to drive in manuals. Even my dad doesnt rev match, despite having been driving for 35+ years, ive only learned about it through my own research online
Most people (me included as im 20 getting my license) simply slowly release the cluth to the bite point before they fully let it out when downshifting. This wears it out a bit more, but doesnt need much practice and allows the flywheel and transmission speed to match on their own via simple friction. Works the same way on most cars too as its not dependent on throttle mapping, just on the clutches bite point and components revs.
Civic si and Integra down shift with Rev matching so there no need for heel toe down shifts. Unless I was racing around I never wasted my time Rev matching my downshifts.
@@robertblack6630 thats crazy but not all of us drive brand new cars. Auto rev match wasn't a thing on the civic until 10th gen for type r and 11th gen for Si. My car is far older than that. Also maybe this is just me but part of the fun of driving manual is nailing each shift. If i want the computer to do a skill I could and should master myself, why wouldn't I?
I bought my first manual transmission car with nothing but videos like these as my knowledge base. The first couple days were rough but in about a week I became very confident with shifting gears. I’ve now been driving a stick for a little over a year and am very proud to have picked up this skill.
I'm gonna start to learn how to drive manual out of necessity. Ended up buying a cheap manual 2003 Toyota Echo today because I couldn't afford anything else. Wish me luck.
@@Seekingtruth-mx3uru got a cool little car that’ll be reliable for you. and the fact that’s it manual will allow it to be fun and satisfying to drive. be proud a what u got and have fun brother
@@Seekingtruth-mx3ur Take a day to drive around in an empty parking lot. Get comfortable taking off and stopping. That was my biggest issue but once I got a hang of it everything else was simple enough. Also, I drove with magnet on the back of my car that said “Learning to drive stick”. It helped to ease the stress that came with my first couple weeks of learning.
What you are teaching in this vid is INVALUABLE and can be the difference between life and death. Sure, in the city, on the highway with cruise control you don’t think about it, but on long drives through mountain/country backroads, the most common mistake I see is people pumping the brakes all the time. That’s a recipe for disaster, especially if it’s really hot, you’re going downhill and the car is full of people. Being able to downshift, rev match and use the engine brake is a must and I can honestly say that in 2 spontaneous unexpected situations those skills have saved my life. It’s why I have trouble trusting automatic transmissions
I learned how to drive a manual car in 2017. I didn't have a clue how to drive one before then, but I wanted to have a basic understanding about how the process worked before test driving my first manual car purchase. I found a guy in my area on craigslist who was offering manual driving lessons. While he did teach me the basics, the thing I remember the most was practically crying throughout the lesson from the amount he was yelling at me for "ruining his car". It wasn't like I was mashing gears on purpose or anything, just a little grinding that you'd expect from a beginner. And don't get me started on the yelling from rolling back a little on hill starts. All in all, he DID teach me how to drive a manual car, but not without traumatizing me in the process. I wish you were my teacher!
As someone who has never even been behind the wheel of a manual transmission car, this was extremely easy to understand and follow along. The multiple camera POVs really helps. Having been spoiled with a life of automatic transmissions, driving a manual seems a bit complicated and frustrating, but then I think about some of the types of people I know or have seen driving manuals 😅 Then I realize if they can freakin do it I could definitely do it😂
Dont be too cocky. The best drivers I have ever met where people that would be considered not very book smart. Especially if you have been driving automatic for a long time then its even harder then if you started manual. Dont know if you are male or female but if female, will be even harder because they are already poor drivers.
There is NO WAY you can learn to drive a manual from just listening to someone. LOL It takes MANY MANY MANY MANY failed tries and Lots and Lots and even More Stalling in traffic looking like a fool, before you can drive like he does. And don't get me started on an uphill in a manual if your not comfortable with manual. LOL..
to all the newbies who are thinking this is too much and you can never drive, i used to think the same but now my brain does this automatically. you just need to practice daily.
This is easy as hell, idk why people say it is hard. I only had any issue in the first 10 minutes +/- driving a manual in the driving classes I had. It is literally just pressing a pedal and moving a stick.
It's not hard to do it on an empty street. What is hard to do is when you panic and there are a lot of traffic or sticky situations. Another hard thing is manual car differs so much from one car to another. They behave all differently. Getting to know your own car is easy but to master some other peoples car, you need to get familiar with that first. Diesel vs gasoline for example. Another thing is the older manual car is also harder to drive than the newer with automatic start engine incase you mis clutch etc. Older ones are much much lessa automatic. There is a reason why manual is a thing of the past since it's more complicated than it SHOULD be. Computers are doing everything even better than humans nowadays and the future is even more towards that direction.
I asked my Dad to teach me how to drive a manual, I knew the basics already but his teaching really helped me a lot to properly learn. It was really an excuse to spend more time with him though.
The trick that always makes it click in people’s heads when I teach them is this: when the car starts rolling, most people’s reactions are “yay! I did it!” and just completely let off the clutch at that point, causing the car to either stall or lurch forward. Instead, once the car starts rolling, you have to go even slower in releasing the clutch. The period after the biting point is the most important part of getting started.
My wife’s problem is literally the amount of force required to let the clutch out smoothly. If you’re not using to doing it, it’s difficult to not just dump the clutch. Then she panicks about stalling and floors the gas ,So everytime she starts from a stop she just peels out 😂
@@eurly93 it works a weird muscle in your leg that you really never use outside of the clutch so it takes some mind-muscle connection development for sure
Not to mention, that its a really "tactile" experience, despite all of the advices and lessons, it is still just practice, but having total control over the speed of the car is really a game changer, specially on tight or dangerous situations.
Learned that today ! Couldn't figure out why it kept stalling , once I got rolling I let it out to fast, had to easy off it slower with some gas and it was perfect
I'm from Greece and despite the last decade 97% of cars if not all were manual transmission so it really feels something normal for us, but i will never forget my father teaching me how to drive...fun times. You have a good way of teaching other people, congratulations. To whoever watching this, you got it, it's only hard at first.
I have a question. When you have to slow down do you have to put the clutch first then brake or just put the brake? Slowing down I mean like if your driving and someone infront slows down you slow down but don’t stop
@@jadenkumar You can drive a manual car lots of ways. There are ways witch are better for the car or that are more economical, but in the end you chose the way you drive. When driving a manual you need to look at two things: the rotations per minute that your engine is doing (rpm) and the gear you are in. Every car has an idle rpm. This is the rate your car engine has to turn, to be able to run. You car keeps this rate up (if it can), however if you don't press on the clutch and shaft is connected, by braking you can slow the engine down so low that it stalls. Imagine it this way: if the clutch is pressed (or you are in natural) the engine and the wheels are separated, the wheels can spin quickly and the engine can still be at idle (like if you are rolling down a hill in natural), but if you are in gear and you don't press the clutch, the wheels and the engine are connected. If you press on the brake and slow the car to a stop you will slow the engine to a stop as well. So the only thing you have to look at is keeping the engine in it's operating range. Not always will you have to press the clutch, as you only slow down a little. A lot of gears can handle a lot of speed. For example in most cars you can get going from a full stop in second gear. But if you slow down enough or you are coming to a full stop, you will have to press the clutch to let the engine maintain the idle rpm. I hope this helps. If you have any further questions, let me know and I will help out if needed!
Seems everyone has that nightmare father/son story of driving manual transmissions. Mine legitimately told me yrs ago I was "never" going to be able to drive one. Thanx Dad, for the no confidence boost back then. Now; there's RUclips :)
Hey Tedward, even though the video is over a year old for me. I really enjoy it. I have never driven a stick shift before, I'm a 21 y/o auto mechanic so I get the logistics in my head of how everything works, but I've never had the opportunity to learn before. Recently I've had a desire to buy a manual vehicle. I have my eyes set on a 2024 Honda Civic Si. I've watched this video at least 100x trying to study it. My girlfriend has a stick shift and she's been driving a stick for years. So she just started teaching me and I actually am a natural for it. I’m not sure if it's my mechanical inclination or your videos. But your video has helped so much. I'm getting better and better at it every time I get behind the wheel. I wanted to learn before I went out and bought the Honda Civic Si. The hardest part is getting the car rolling for me. I definitely stalled out quite a few times on the first day, but the more I do it the more I understand it. She's also an old school manual driver, so her ways are a lot different than yours, but the idea of it is the same. Long story short, I just wanted to share my experience and say thank you for creating such an awesome tutorial.
Something very important that you forgot to mention on the video that some people may not know and cause an accident: If you were to start moving on a uphill, specially with older cars because they dont have hill start assistance, if you release the brakes to press the accelerator your car is going to roll back, so to prevent this you can use your handbrake (also known as E-brake, emergency brake, parking brake or whatever, its a lot of names) to hold the car still, then you release a bit of your clutch with the car engaged in first until it starts bitting, apply a bit of gas and then you release your parking brake, if you do it right (practice on a safe environment first plz) you will not roll back. Another way to do it (but you need to have more experience first) is learning to hold the car only with the clutch (BE AWARE that doing this for longer than necessary will worn your cluch much faster than expected, so as i said before, practice it on a safe environment), to do it you first (with your right foot on the brake) release the clutch slowly until it starts bitting (you will feel the car shake), then you can slowly release your brake, after that you can apply more gas and fully release the clutch, done right your car will not roll back (you know the drill, practice, safe environment) More experienced people can correct me if im wrong on anything or give your own suggestions (there is more advanced techniques like heel toe but i dont think thats necessary) please correct me or share it
To the technique without the parking, e.... brake and just the pedals, i would not say you can hold most cars uphill only with your clutch in position. But maybe that's just the steeper inclines here in the alps ;-) In seriousness, i would say it's almost the same as with the parking/e-/...brake. -> Feeling until the clutch bites (a tiny bit more) and changing from brake to throttle fast (but only enough throttle to not stall it but enough in conjunction with the clutchposition to not rol back) and keep releasing the clutch as soon as you are on the throttle, not too slow but not too fast. As you said, needs some practice, a little feeling for the specific car and can vary in difficulty between different vehicles. (Old low powered gasoline/petrol cars -> more difficult; newer cars or old powerfull Diesel powered cars-> more easy) But it can be done. I am by far not among the worlds best drivers but i have done it successfuly that way for over 24 years, even on snow and ice. At first i tought you were adressing the left foot braking issue... when you get used to a manual transmission and think you can left foot brake a car without concentrating incredibly hard on the pressure you are applying.😁
I’ve been driving stick for about 8 years and was doing everything correctly except for matching the downshifts. This was very detailed and just flowed well. I’m looking forward to improving my technique
I mean, I learnt to drive in a manual and I've tried rev matching many times. As much as I enjoy it, on the avg Indian road just slowly taking your foot off the clutch is better than rev matching cuz we have to slow down anyways 😂. So yeah, what I do is I slowly take the foot of the clutch and give a tiny bit of throttle.
You don’t need to rev match for 99% of driving. It’s an advanced driving technique to reduce forces back through the transmission and engine when decelerating hard. It’s for racing drivers. Normal driving involves letting off the accelerator, tapping the brakes and smoothly changing down. Giving a tap to the accelerator to rev match is only done when driving really hard.
You‘re absolutly right with that. If driving in normal traffic there is absolutly no need for rev matching when shifting down. Just do it as you‘re deceleraing. Also you need not be in gear all the time. If you need to fully stop just press the clutch and come to a stop. Most people here in germany will even engage the first gear instaniniously if they are in stop and go traffic. Also most people only clutch in first if they are in first gear for everything above that you first break and then go for the clutch.
Don't stress it. Rev matching is never really needed. Some claim you wear your clutch out not doing it, but it will never be enough to be significant. If you want to do it because you find that it is smoother, go ahead, but forget the arguments about ruining the clutch.
im 22, never had anyone to teach me how to drive a manual trans. This video has helped me more than you could ever know. I'm super excited to test drive a 2025 Civic Si soon
PSA: When practicing heel-toe for the first times, make sure there's no car behind you! Modern cars have pretty sensitive brake pedals, and you can quite easily brake-check someone by accident when rotating your foot to reach the throttle
Simple question here, can heel-toe downshifts be done a diesel engine too ? Or it is pointless ? Because for me, this skill was reserved for petrol cars and not diesel ones
@Kaspeer not that easily for big diesel engines (greater than 2 litres, I think), because their RPMs rise considerably more slowly compared to those of petrol engines. This is especially the case if your vehicle's engine has a dual-mass flywheel. You can only find this out through the technical specifications for your vehicle, but if you for example rev the engine by pressing the clutch pedal and then the accelerator/gas pedal, or keep your gearstick in neutral and then press the gas pedal to rev the engine, you'll notice the RPMs rising about half a second after you press the pedal.
Bought a 6MT Veloster N with no experience driving MT before in my life (spent 3 hours in a parking lot after buying the car to learn it), then drove 200 miles to get back home since I bought the car in a different city. Your videos have definitely helped me a ton in the do's/donts! I'm coming up on my 3rd* week and haven't stalled for awhile when I drive the car / feel way more confident in it. This video definitely drives it home/reinforces the basics. If you're considering an MT car but are scared to learn, don't be! I was discouraged at first but found that there is more than enough out there to learn, with videos like this one. I think the other saying that stuck with me, slow is fast, fast is slow! Thanks for the awesome videos!
Im in the same boat, got a MT Supra coming at the end of october and I never driven stick but I bought the car in a different city. Gotta learn the day of so I am here watching this video lol
@@deeboh1629 Thats a sick car, and congrats on the purchase! You'll probably feel more anxious as the day comes to go get your car, but that'll go away the more confident you get in driving it. I think my first week with the car home I was actually scared of the car because I was still stalling here and there (for dumb silly mistakes, like coming to a complete stop, and then lifting off the clutch pedal while still in gear, oops). The biggest thing for me was listening to the car when practicing shifting into first and lifting the clutch, and hearing the audible change in engine noise when the clutch is at the "bite point". I probably practiced this a bunch in the parking lot nearby the car dealer. As I got more comfortable just getting the car "rolling" forward in 1st with no throttle, I practiced adding a little more throttle at the bite point and releasing the clutch. The only con I guess I can say that you will maybe experience is you'll likely be looking for more excuses to drive the car when you get more comfortable 🤣. I'm always looking for an excuse to drive mine, and sometimes take a longer route going home if it means just a few more minutes of driving time. Always happy to share my experiences if it helps even a little, and you're definitely in the right place watching these videos too! I always try to be a lot more mindful of how I'm treating my car because of information like how its mentioned in this video.
you are brave. most people who learn to drive stick take several weeks to get comfortable to even drive it out on the road but you on the otherhand, bought it and drove 200 miles back the same day after learning to drive MT for 3 hours. that takes balls of steel tbh
@@fearnot82 😅I guess thinking back on it, it was absolutely a crazy thing to do... I just kept telling me self "the car is an automatic, but I am the transmission" LOL. Semi spoiled by the modern MT mechanics too as well (like hill assist/rev matching), but boy did I stall a bajillion times in those 3 hours in that parking lot. I'm positive that day if my car had feelings and it could talk it would've cussed me out in at least 20 different languages. No regrets though, just happy I got home safely and all of that. Probably wouldn't want to live through that again though 🤣
i don't understand this, i think its not uncommon to see ppl that never driven a car, enter the car and drive naturally, that happened to me when i was 14. It was a manual in an interstate highway, no engine stall no nothing, ofcourse my dad didn't let me go over 55mph but was fun anyway. The only drawback was that in the way back the police gave me a ticket. From that moment on until i took my license i only used the car in city limits where police wouldn't be.
Only 4 minutes in and I can already tell this is an insanely good tutorial for the beginner. So well done on the physics of mating the transmission to the wheels as well, tedward!
I love the camera setting with both the POV and footcam. Really helps to see what I need to be doing with my hands and feet compared to just narrating it. Very helpful video thank you
Dude, thanks so much for making this. I have this exact car and I’ve been watching all of your videos on it trying to replicate what you do, all the while wishing you would break it down. I have a times become frustrated trying to shift perfectly smooth and not getting it exactly right, and this video is exactly what I was hoping you’d make. Thanks!
Dad taught me to drive stick at eleven on a farmer tractor, it was a safe space, he wasn't that patient. After a while it becomes second nature. Now, I can drive any car and auto is easy to me. A tip for those learning manual, after learning, do not keep your cluch foot in there, put it on the side of the clutch, otherwise you will burn it up. I don't even think about it anymore. Practice.
Dude you're a freaking life saver!!!! I've been dying to learn to how drive manual and everybody ese couldn't explain it as clearly as you did in this video. Much love and keep up the good work
Honestly this is the best beginner video ever. I'm into classic cars and I've always been afraid of driving them due to the manual transmissions a lot of them have. This video literally taught me how to drive stick starting from zero. I thank you.
I'm literally 15 watching this and I can't believe It was this simple all along, It used to feel so overwhelming especially when i'd ask my family how do u speed up, what do those gears mean, what is the clutch and what does it do etc.., It now all makes sense thanks to you and I feel like i understood so well That I feel i can go grab my mom's car's keys and drive myself to the gym. Thank you so much man !
Oh man at 14 this video was a saver! I don't know how to drive yet, but my dad taught me how to ride a bike. So gears weren't a new concept, neither was anything technical about driving. I had the knowledge of rev-matching and heel-toe (I also knew very well those are not beginners things) and gears and what not but I've yet to actually do anything real.
The great thing of driving stick-shift is that you have much more direct feeling of contact with the car! It makes driving a much more interesting and visceral experience even without going fast!
I haven't driven yet but I always enjoy learning about the 'why' of things, and you compile all of that so well into a reassuring package. The first step to being good at something is being comfortable with it, and you convey it all really well.
Always been impressed at how you're one of the only auto vloggers who drives correctly while reviewing cars (rev-matching downshifts, heel-toe, etc). Maybe I'm not as impressed as I am disappointed in everyone else's severe deficiency, but well done for for keeping the skill alive. People need to know this stuff or else manual will die.
It's because rev matching is completely and utterly pointless in any regular car in the last 30 years. Rev matching is only necessary in cars with no synchromesh. Doing stupid shit like heel-toe or left foot braking in normal traffic is significantly more dangerous than just slowing down like a normal person, i.e. stepping on the brakes with your right foot, engaging the clutch right before your car begins stalling, selecting the appropriate gear, disengaging the clutch, and carrying on. If you're double clutching, heel-and-toe shifting, or left foot braking in actual traffic, you should have your license taken away, because you are **not** a racing driver, and you are endangering others on the road.
@@Redstarka22 You're completely wrong. If you downshift without rev-matching under any circumstances then you are slipping the clutch to the lower gear and causing unnecessary wear on your clutch disc for no reason. Even downshifting smoothly without tipping over your groceries requires rev-matching unless you only drive at very low RPM. Downshifting in a pickup with no weight in the back will lock up the tires if you don't rev-match. It has nothing to do with gearbox synchronization. Modern sychros remove the need for double-clutching, not rev-matching. Saying you should have your license taken away for driving correctly is maybe the strangest thing I've ever heard on here.
@@CasterTown nobody revmatches in a car except dumbass Americans because they think manuals are somehow unique. If you can't even shift down without tipping your groceries without revmatching, you've either fucked up your car and you should take it to the mechanic, or you don't know how to drive a manual. Slipping your clutch is fine, and the wear you introduce is absolutely minimal. You do not ever need to revmatch in a car outside of a racetrack. Edit: also, the wear you introduce on your clutch when you start moving in first is literally like 3 orders of magnitude higher than when you downshift without revmatching. That's because forcing the engine to from 2000rpm to 4000rpm is piss easy compared to getting a one-and-a-half tonne vehicle to move from 0-5kph. Yet you don't see people worrying about that... Revmatching is stupid, and you shouldn't do it on public roads. Anyone who heel-toes in a normal car on public roads should face penalty points on their license.
knew how to drive, but now I know how to rev match and downshift with the heel toe technique in a daily context. Thanks for the video, really instructive and easy to understand!
Great tutorial! I recently learned how to drive a manual about 6 months ago and I'm 33. I like that you've pointed out the biting point and being able to get the car moving without touching the gas pedal at all. A lot of people say to peel off the clutch slowly while gassing, which is pretty much what you do, but for learning purposes, that's omitting a few key things. You don't just roll off the clutch slowly, the cluck has 3 steps, all the way down (disengaged), biting point, and all the way up (engaged). The key isn't to roll off the clutch smoothly and linearly. The key is to get to that biting point quickly, and then remain at the biting point long enough for the rpm to match, and then slowly come off the clutch completely after that. For modern manual cars, the car will apply enough throttle when on the biting point in first gear to get the car moving. For some cars though, you do have to rev up to about 1200-1500rpm first before you can start messing with the clutch to get to the biting point. Some older cars I've been in will just stall and won't roll at all even if you get to the biting point without giving it some gas yourself first. Also, heel toe downshifting is different and can be difficult in some cars where the height of the brake pedal and gas pedal makes it tough. In certain cars, you have to be quite deep in the brake pedal to actually be on the same level as the gas pedal so your foot can even hit the gas, which makes it very difficult to heel toe when you're just slowing down slowly.
I first learned to heel and toe in my mom's hyundai getz, i found it really easy, however when i was trying it in my volvo 940, i just couldn't do it. Later on, i somehow adapted, and i find it easy in those cars now. I think that the key may be not to press the brake with the whole foot, but to use the joint of the proximal phalanx and metararsal just on the side of the brake pedal, that allows you to easily turn your whole foot outwards to the right to press the gas while pressing the brake. You don't actually specifically use your heel, it's more of whichever part on the right of the foot touches the gas. With practice you can do it in almost any car (some vans are near impossible) with any moderate to heavy braking intensity. But you're right in that it's useless under mild braking - here i'd just downshift into an appropriate gear first, and then brake normally.
At about 11:00 when you're talking about going to 3rd, or other upper gears -- the thing that I have learned is to not try to over-control the gear shift lever. By this I mean a lot of people grasp the lever with their full hand and then try to feel 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th gears. Even worse, they grasp the knob with their palm over the top. This may work with Ferraris and other cars with exposed gates, but most cars have a boot, and you can't see, and may not be able to feel a gate -- because there may not even be one. The way around this is to use the palm of your open hand to move the lever. So from 2-3 in your car would be done by pushing with your palm straight forward. By not grasping the lever you won't apply any lateral force on the lever and potentially put it into the wrong gear. Instead you allow the spring to do it's job and gently move the shifter from the 1-2 plane to the 3-4 plane of the H. You shift from 3-4 by cupping your fingers around the lever (while NOT grasping it!) and pull the lever straight back. To shift from 4-5 you would use your palm (open hand) to push the lever toward 2:00 o'clock. To shift from 5-6 you backhand (open hand, thumb pointing down) the lever toward 4:00. To go from 6-5, you push the lever toward 2:00 again. From 5-4, you use the cupped fingers of your open hand to pull the lever straight back. From 4-3 you use your palm to push the lever straight forward. From 3-2, you use the cupped fingers of your open hand to pull the lever towards 7:00. To shift into 1st, use the palm of your open hand to push the lever towards 10:00. I learned this technique decades ago driving a Formula Ford, because they don't have gates on their shifters or anywhere else in the linkage. So you shift by pushing the lever in the direction of the gear that you want. It works every time in every car that I've ever driven.
It absolutely makes up for those moments when you're stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. Yeah, it can be annoying constantly shifting between 1 and 2 when traffic's going under 20 but those weekends in the canyons or along the coast? Absolutely worth it
@Mansory811 You just don't get it, I guess. You're not going to enjoy bumper to bumper traffic either way, and i guarantee you it's a whole lot more fun when you have a wide open road with some fun curves, and you can row your own gears instead of letting a slushbox do it for you.
@Mansory811 Then they can buy the many hundreds of regular ass cars out there made just for them. Why is it such a problem for you to hear that there are some people who prefer having fun while driving even if it's less comfortable? My car's suspension is rough and in no way "luxurious" and bumper to bumper traffic around town is more effort. I don't care - the car's more fun to me and the fun weekend romps make up for it.
@Mansory811 Why do people still buy mechanical watches when a cheap quartz watch tells time more accurately than any "precision" mechanical watch could ever hope to? Why do people buy expensive clothing when cheaper clothing would suffice? My point with the original post was more that I own one car - I use it to daily commute and go through the chores, but I also use it to go out and carve some twisty roads and have a little fun with it. And driving a stick just feels more involved, more engaging, more direct with the road. You're doing more work, you're paying more attention to what your car's doing. It's not technologically superior, hell even most new automatics are going to shift just as far or even faster (Supercars abandoned MTs because frankly no human could shift fast enough). But it's an experience that many people who enjoy the act of driving want. For getting around town if you don't care for driving, yeah the manual transmission is long obsolete. There's a reason only like 1% of cars sold are manual, and the number's been in the single digits almost as long as I've been alive at this point. But for people who enjoy getting out there on the road, hitting up the track, or just going around some back roads in the country or on some canyon/coastal roads with a lot of curves? It's a hell of a blast IMO. Part of the reason it's fun is BECAUSE you're operating within constraints, you're pushing yourself as well as your car.
This is extremely helpful. As someone who learnt driving with a stick car, I love driving manual, but hasn't done so in a long time. This is a video I will watch again and again.
I bought my first manual car in 2020 without ever having driven one before, took me a good week before I could get it going reliably and a solid month before I stopped stalling for the most part. Very fun to teach yourself how to drive one honestly
@@vince7230 I drive manual and my only advice is don’t. It’s incredibly tiring changing gears and basically pushing your push against the clutch for that long. Automatic or electric cars are your best friend in the city.
Why is everyone in the comments newbies to manual cars? Im from Europe (Belgium) and 95% of us here drive manual cars. Im 18 and have my “manual” drivers license
@@diablo5028 Because most people in the US have automatic cars. They don't teach you to drive manual cars in driving school and there is no manual drivers license here.
Life recently threw me a curveball, and I've now ended up driving a manual car. I I'm so glad I came across your video! Super insightful and great quality content!
4:00 - regarding the manual shifters: it is important to always start the car with clutch pedal pressed down (whether you start the car in first or neutral while clutch pedal is pressed is irrelevant) - just starting the car in neutral will put additional stress to a starter since it will have to spin not only the engine but also the gearbox. Neutral is as much a gear as any, with the only difference that it does not connect to the differential. So always start the car with clutch down to completely disengage the gearbox from engine. Just wanted to point that out.
@Jessica Suzumiya Seems to me you just want to throw out some knowledge and make you look good and all but... wait what? What are you talking about? You do know that engaging the clutch will completely disconnect the engine from the gearbox right? It doesn't matter if you're starting the car in 6th gear for all you want, pressing the clutch down will still disconnect the entire transmission from your engine (hopefully you don't start driving from standstill in that gear though). Now starting in neutral without pressing the clutch down - that makes it worse in any case, you are spinning the neutral gear in the transmission as well, as well as the clutch. And that's extra stress for the starter, and your battery.
What a beautiful interior! I love driving manuals, they're so much more engaging and encourage more mindfulness I think. I'm watching this to get some "detail" tips to drive it better because while I've been doing it for years, I don't think I'm doing it as well as I could. Great vid
Was going out with a girl who wanted me drive her automatic car. As a man I was not willing to admit I couldn’t drive stick, watched your video on 2x speed and drove off flawlessly You’re a legend! Thanks for having my back
It's good idea to make videos like that, I am 15 years old and I have driven a couple of times and these videos help me a lot! Keep the good work, Tedward, thank you very much!
This video helped me so much when I first started driving a manual. The video is simple and informative and even the car used makes it easy to follow along. This is definitely the best quality video on manual driving basics. And of course, Tedward being Tedward just makes the video all the more enjoyable.
I taught my son to *OPERARATE* a manual shift car when he was 5 years old. He use to drive around the farm in a little Suzuki pick-up truck on his own with out me in the truck. He took to it like a duck to water. When we lived in Ireland and he was 6 years old I let him drive me from Ballyheigue to Ballyduff on the road and he was so chuffed at that age to be given the chance to do that. It is a memory we will always share as father and son. I know I should never have done it but hey there are not many people that have experienced that with their son at the age of 6. He is now 40 years old and he still tells me how cool it was that I trusted him to do that. Had the police caught us it may not have been so cool. I love my son.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I learned how to drive a manual last year on my new GLI Autobahn ‘6MT - I have over 5k miles on it now and never understood how to heel-toe and rev match - hence I still have a tendency to lurch backwards when downshifting. This was a very helpful demo!
My husband (who is an incredible teacher) tried teaching me a stick shift. I thought it was so complicated and overwhelming. Watched this video, and BOOM drove us all around, stop and go traffic in LA. This video is pure gold. Thank you!!!
I've watched a ton of tutorial videos in the last few days and none are as good as this one. I just want you to know how much I appreciate it. Thank you for doing this!
So you need to be careful when doing a heel toe that the gas pedal can be reached easely. I have a 2019 Opel Corsa and you can't heel toe on it because the gas pedal is way lower than the brake pedal so in order to heel toe you need to brake seriously hard (like in an emergency stop). So get comfortable with your pedals and look if it's even possible first before trying it.
Depending on the car, I have found that one of two techniques will generally work. In my 911 that has a hard, un-boosted brake pedel and a well aligned throttle I will brake with the ball of my right foot and breath the throttle with the outer portion of my heel. In other more modern cars with soft, boosted brakes I may brake with the arch of my foot and use my outer toes to breath the throttle. In either case I don't "blip" the throttle. That spins the engine up and down too quickly. I've found the analogy that they used to use in Skip Barber works well. You want the engine to swell as you match rev's. You want a sort of "YOUnggggaaaa" sound from the engine that lasts 2 to 3 seconds, not a stab that spikes the revs (a Zoom!).
@@username8644 True. Heel&toeing at mild levels of braking (as usually seen on the street) doesn't often work very well and is kind of pointless, especially since often braking is to a complete stop at stop lights and stop signs.
It's been 4 months since I purchased a 6 speed 2001 NB2. As of today, I know how to rev match from 4th to 3rd but still terrified to go from 4th to 3rd and 3rd to 2nd. After watching your footwork from 3rd to 2nd made me realized how patience you were in releasing the clutch, which I'm going to try. I realized that I release my clutch to quick. Thanks for posting such an awesome video.
Personally don't recommend you shift down to 2nd gear when coming to a stop unless coming traffic requires second gear. It's best and safest to just clutch and brake from 3rd gear as 3rd provides more than enough engine brake to slow down the car to (my case 30km/h). Only then I clutch and brake (saves both brakes and clutch) (edit) Safest because in the case of the need to braking hard, you might find yourself stuck trying to change down gears when traffic ahead is suddenly stopping which may lead to an accident. Second gear's engine brake is also very strong and unless your foot is on the brake, people behind you may not realise your're braking and might hit you.
@@hamzasami8362 thank you so much for the helpful response. Luckily I haven't practiced my 3rd to 2nd yet 😅. I'll keep the tips in mind and avoid it. 😉 thank you!
Rev matching is only required when driving fast to minimise the force coming back through the transmission and engine from changing into a lower gear. At normal speeds you release the throttle and change when appropriate. Unless you’re thrashing a car around a track, you probably will never need to rev match changing down into 2nd gear.
I really wish I’d been taught like this, and including heel-toe downshifting. It’s hard to break bad habits after years of leaning too much on the clutch to do the work
I'm glad! I think its important to expose people to good rev matching techniques early for this exact reason. They probably won't perfect it for a while but know that its a good habit will hopefully avoid creating bad ones
I recently got a 2025 Honda Civic SI and it was my second time driving a manual (I test drove a Type R at a dealership once) and it went relatively well (still learning). This video has been super helpful for both occasions!
I just got my own new Si after only owning automatics and this helped SO MUCH, probably because its the exact same car, but I'm so glad I was prepared to get it home and I've had a blast driving it so far. Thank you for making this.
You explain things the way a brain would learn it. This is what makes a good teacher. And as someone who has driven stick (illegally) for 2 years, you have spoken the truth.
I’ve taught quite a few people and would say rev matching and heel toe should be a part 2 video because a lot of the time most people have trouble just going back and forth through the gears and dumping the clutch. No matter how slow you tell them to get off the clutch, they’re not sensitive enough to it. My suggestion is during a downshift braking first or coming off throttle to let the car slow down and once they drop into the lower gear, pausing as the ROM’s climb and then coming off the clutch once the revs begin to fall (speeds matched). It’s easy when you’ve driven for months or years but definitely not to someone who doesn’t even know what drivetrain layout they have.
Do you know what is the best way to drive in traffic or in the city where there are a lot of stop/starts? People suggested clutch control, but note that it will wear out your clutch, whereas others advised to just creep in 1st gear during heavy traffic and only disengage the clutch when needed if the rpms are below the idle point. Then again, people argue that a clutch is meant to be used, so there is no need to worry about it. Idk which side is even right considering that I haven't learned how to drive an actual car yet, but I am doing my best to be prepared for it tho. I need desperate help lol.
@@coolbro_2963 My suggestion is going to be more of an overall tip than a black and white answer. I’ll explain afterward. The goal when driving a manual is to be proactive rather than reactive, especially when first starting out. Therefore instead of speeding up to traffic and then braking, you want to pace yourself so that you continue rolling as much as possible. Don’t be pressured into accelerating just because a 1 car gap turned to a 3 car gap. And when encountering stop signs/ speed bumps, you want to make the car almost come to a stop and use the release of the clutch to bump the car( this has a lot to do with timing and understanding the car you’re in). I offer this because as a beginner it is usually a lot harder to get the car moving from a standstill. Another circumstance is taking advantage of gravity if you’re facing downhill in the direction you’re already going, then allow the car to roll before engaging the clutch (can usually skip 1st gear like this also) which will make the takeoff easier. These are generalizations but do work on the majority of cars while the mindset look ahead will prove worthy for everything. Now some factors to take into consideration is the engine power curve (usually the larger the engine, the easier the takeoff), flywheel mass (heavier = easier), clutch type (race/ aggressive = harder), gear ratio (more multiplication is easier). In stop and go traffic my preference is to roll in 2nd gear, however when driving a lower power 4 cylinder I usually have to drop down to 1st on flat ground or inclines depending how slow traffic is going. In a v6 or v8, you can usually stay in second unless dropping below 3mph ish. The last little tactic I use is to simply put it into gear and get the car rolling and then put into neutral and control the car with the brakes. This is done mostly on downhills or flat ground where the car doesn’t bleed off speed to fast. Understand the fundamentals and what can and can’t be done. From there just drive how you want. Sometimes I ride the clutch and sometimes I’m using it like a light switch. Don’t stress about it too much as long as you enjoy driving!
One thing I'd add for beginners: although it might be fun to down shift, remember that brakes are cheaper than clutch. In most cases it's better just to brake in gear as long as possible, then just go to neutral. Another good practice, especially on older cars with slightly worn syncros, is to never use more than 3 fingers of comfortable force to engage any gear. Treat the gears like they're made of glass and they'll last forever.
To the other comments: Revmatching reduces wear on clutch. Has zero effect on the synchro wear (hint: as long as you press the clutch, what you do with the engine does not affect the gearbox). If you want to reduce synchro wear you need to double-clutch
Any car made in the last 30 years requires absolutely no rev matching. You are not saving your synchros, you are not saving your clutch, in fact, you're probably making things worse because you are not a racing driver, and you don't know what you're doing
@@Redstarka22 technically you dont need too. but there are many cars that will really bog down f.e. if you try to downshift from fifth to third for overtaking a lorry (meaning revs need to go up from 2500rpm to 4000rpm) and only rely on the transmission and clutch to match the revs. the car will jolt massively and put much wear on it, plus it feels bad. or you have to feed in the clutch veeeeeeeeeeery slowly which is quite awkward because you will also slow down considerably doing that in this situation. a short throttle blip is much smoother and and quicker and takes not much learning if you understand the principle. heel and toe on the other hand, especially in a modern eco car with very sensible brake and sometimes weirdly programmed gas pedal can be quite a hand full and should not be practiced on the open road as a beginner. can become very dangerous.
found a guy on reddit a few weeks ago who let me learn a bit in his 2020 Civic, already had experience with motorcycles so it wasn't super hard. definitely my biggest problem was letting the clutch out too quickly since on these newer Civics it seems like the friction zone is small and very high up on the clutch, whereas i'm used to letting out the whole thing quickly on a motorcycle. definitely hoping i can get a manual in my next car! fantastic video as always, wish i could get you in the seat next to me for some learning lol
Different cars of the same model can have the clutch bite differently. Depends on how it’s adjusted and how much wear is on it. Another Civic might feel different.
@@veganjoy Just so you know, you can also adjust the clutch on a fwd car so the bite point can be up or down depending on how you like it. I don't recommend doing this all the time though, usually it's done when you install a new clutch
Great stuff, I've been driving sticks for over 30 years and never really mastered heel toe downshifting. You break it down so easy! Will definitely practice when I get my nd2 in the near future 😀
Well some cars are basically impossible to do it in and some are very easy. Pedal placement, throttle mapping, and your engine make huge differences. Mustangs are super easy to heel toe. Good pedal placement, great throttle response and very rev happy engines. Very easy and predictable to learn throttle and engine response characteristics. LS motors suck to rev match. Camaros and corvettes have fine pedal placement and throttle mapping, but their engines have too much rotational inertia so when you blip the throttle at low rpm the engine kind of fights back and doesn’t want to spin up quickly at first but then once it’s going, it revs quickly so it makes it hard to time with the shift
Thank you for the amazing video! I’ve been watching a lot of your videos recently since I’m going to be ordering a new WRX tomorrow. Only problem is that I’ve never driven a manual before so I’ll need to find someone’s car to practice on before mine is delivered. Thank you again! Your explanation of how the clutch works helped me understand the reasoning behind each step of driving a manual
Love seeing your explanations even though I already know everything. I also reccomend newbies learning double clutching after this. May not be needed, but helpful if you have a worn synchro.
Great video, you're a really good teacher. I've driven manual all my life since I live in the UK, and I've been teaching my wife (who's from USA) but she won't really try it. I saw this video, and thought the way you explain things is pretty good and would be good for a beginner. I know how a manual operates but it's hard actually teaching it and explaining why things happen the way they do without actually being aware of why. Same with her - she's an English teacher and teaches me things all the way, things I didn't know were a thing that I just did as a native English speaker. It's crazy! Where you say the clutch starts to catch, we call it the 'biting point'. Like when you release the clutch and feel the car start to move. Or when you have the handbrake on, releasing the clutch and feel the car want to move.
So it's been three or more years since I've driven a manual.. and I'm just now starting to watch this video, and let me say all the other videos I've found on all social platforms this one is the top one I've come by so far. I have just recently gotten a 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid that is Electric and a manual. I'm relearning how to drive a manual again, I have followed your Instagram because the way you teach me "everyone" in this video is amazing, it has really helped me and I'm only 3 minutes in so far, I can't wait to watch the rest of it. I'll do an update on how this has helped me with my car, thank you for taking time out of your day to make this video for everyone to use and see in order to learn about how to drive a manual :)
Watching from Brazil, it's interesting to see how complicated something can get from a simple reason. Since, like, 80% of our cars here are manual, we all have to learn how to drive in those types of cars anyways. No driving school teaches with an automatic. So we are kind of forced into not finding it too complicated. It's as simple as a lack of reference.
If you're just starting with manual don't worry about downshifting or rev matching And it might make it way easier if you just imagine every time you press the clutch that you are connecting and disconnecting the engine from the wheels
It's funny. I'm a Dutch person and we get thought manual in driving school but NEVER had I been thought rev matching. I didn't find out about that until I got into SIM racing lol. Also I never put my car in neutral. I was always taught to leave it in gear when parked and as soon as you enter the vehicle foot on the clutch :D
Thanks for making such a clear tutorial with the two different camera angles and fully explaining the whole process, I'm purchasing a 2019 WRX and picking it up in a week or so and I'm nervous about getting it off the lot.
I'm 15 and I am absolutely amazed that most people have not a clue on how to drive manual (or stick as Americans call it) this video came up on my recommended and I was curious to see how he explains it, I must say I am impressed by his explanation however, mid blown that some people in their 20s have not a clue how to do manual transmission or how to have good clutch control. this isn't a criticism by the way it's just manual transmission is considered standard here in the uk...
I’ve been to the USA and yeah all those adults there, a lot of them don’t know manual. When I lived there I was only a teenager but it’s evident that automatic is used everywhere
*i took my dad's car will he was a sleep for a "chill drive". When back home he was waiting for me in front of the door. he said how are you supposed to know how to drive you don't have a license and told me to get in the car so he can see how i managed not to roll it over in a round-about. I showed him all i know and he was specially impressed by the Rev Match technique, then i showed him your channel. Thank you so much bro you are the best.*
Do you really need to rev match driving normally unless you're trying to maintain speed or go for a lower gear to take advantage of the power to climb a hill or pass etc.? I was taught to just match my gear to the speed I'm going. As a side note, what helped me click with understanding how it works is allowing different gears to pull me at their idle speed, as it stopped me being scared of stalling out by understanding it would only stall out if i forced the rpm under idle by being in the wrong gear for my speed. Would appreciate your thoughts on this purely because lots of people I know drive without using rev matching much, for example slowing down to take a junction from 3rd->2nd they wouldn't rev match to 3rd, they would just slow down and change gear. I might be answering my own question but I suppose one benefit is that you would be holding the clutch down for shorter periods of time? I'm just curious and trying to get a better understanding myself. Great video as always, very clear for anyone new to manuals.
Yes you must rev match! If you waited until the car matched the speed you’d be at idle on the next lower gear. That’s way too much time rolling and not having control over the power delivery.
Slowly letting up the clutch kind of does the same as rev matching, since you are just slowly bringing the engine speed up to the transmissions speed. But rev matching is the proper way to do it since it's faster and doesn't require playing around with the clutch.
@@s2000. That creates a lot of wear on the clutch slipping it like that rather than matching the speed. You want the clutch and flywheel spinning at the same rate when they connect. The only Time this isn't possible is when you start from 0.
@Tedward I love your vids but you're overreacting here. I bet 99 - 99.9% of people don't rev match. If your driving around town at 1000-2500 rpm the kinetic energy of the engine is quite low
Very nice tutorial. I would have liked to see a STEEP hill start, where you need brake to prevent from rolling backwards. That's the hardest part of driving stick shift IMO.
Feet on brake and clutch. Prepare yourself mentally to very quickly get your right foot on the gas pedal (before you roll backwards). Right foot on throttle. Apply throttle to around 2-2,5k rpm. Release the clutch (feel it out). Ideally, you release the clutch in such a way that you hover around that rpm range until the wheels are spinning fast enough that you can let go of the clutch fully
I'd love a really good heel/toe video from you! I'm good with a manual. Been using them for two decades, never having to replace a clutch BUT I find heel/toe very difficult. I mean, not all peddles are spaced the same, but damn you make it look easy! If I'm driving too slow, the brakes hit too hard because I have to press far down so I can reach the throttle (I do get sports cars with big brakes). When I move faster, I have very little time to try the maneuver. I take cars to open-track days! I'm an "enthusiast," but I can't seem to get this right!! I really wanna master it 😅 It's essential, really. Your foot placement looks perfect. I feel like I make a goofy foot placement, or something. Im usually not using the best shoes for the job, either. Maybe I should film my feet as well, to see what I'm doing down there 🤔 Anyway, you speak like teacher. Its nice. I so wish I could get a lesson from you. Maybe you already have a more in-depth heal/toe video. I'm gonna look! Thank you so much 🙌
looking forward to get my license next year and this video helped me so much, i didnt have any idea of rev matching and heel toe downshifting, thank you so much for this video keep it up
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I've taught a few people how to drive a manual transmission but this video may have a much broader impact! The beginning gets the newbies started and we move into Rev Matching downshifts and Heel Toe downshifts for those of you who want to hone your skills.
These videos provide good lessons for a beginner driver like me! Thank you tedward!❤
Hi, do you put clutch in then shift to neutral and before next gear gear give it gas as you are sliding it lower gear or clutch in next lowest gear and then gas? It probably works too but is slower?
I really really wish someone had taught me how to Rev match and heel toe downshift when I was learning. So thank you for putting this video out man.
Can u make a video on how to use the manual transmission on uphill roads? Thank youu
Save the manuals! Thanks for the video tedward, driving manual is an experience like no other and satisfying in ways that automatic transmissions can't keep up with.. Just bought a manual Mazda 3 and it is amazing for the price, lovely gearbox and fun little drivers car.
Holy snaps. My 18 year old wants to take over my 2006 Evo and said he learned how to drive stick from youtube. I handed him the keys, and turns out he was not lying. He showed me the video he watched here, and I wanted to say that you did great with this video! Well done.
W son
W taste in cars too
Nice
That’s awesome and also both of you have amazing taste
You must really trust your son to give him your evo. Would love a car like that for my firs
Tedward is like the dad we wish we had in the car community 🥺
thats doug demuro
@@memes4life118 Doug is more like that annoying uncle who talks ur head off 😂😂
TedDad?😁
Well become that dad for your future children
I want a Ted Dad
I'm 23, barely know anything about manual transmissions, and my dad is the original owner of a 1988 Mustang LX that he's dropped *money* into modifying. Attempting to learn how to drive it for when it's eventually passed down to me and this is by far the most helpful tutorial I've watched so far.
Thank You! I hope you have fun driving the car
Why don't you ask your dad to show you how to drive it? He'd probably love to do that
@@bananajoe4233 I totally forgot about this comment until you replied, so thanks lol. happy to see it got a little traction. but yeah, I've been doing my best to learn in it when I'm at my grandparents house during the summers where it's kept. first gear is a featherweight bc he dropped the gear ratio something fierce when he modded it lol. happy to say I've gotten somewhat good at shifting and I only stall once or twice from the transition between stopped/parked and first gear
My dads got an 89 lx, second manual car ive driven
same for me haha my dad has a 1990 saleen mustang
Easily still the best 'youtube manual lesson' video out there. I was so focused on the explanation and video that I had no idea the video was about to end, nor did I want it to end.
I totally agree with you, rev matching is an almost necessary skill for driving a manual, but they dont teach you in driving schools, even here in europe where you learn to drive in manuals. Even my dad doesnt rev match, despite having been driving for 35+ years, ive only learned about it through my own research online
My dad taught me manual and he still doesn't get why i need to rev match haha
same bruh my dad and my brother think im crazy for telling them to rev match, saying i spend too much time on my pc and phone smh
Most people (me included as im 20 getting my license) simply slowly release the cluth to the bite point before they fully let it out when downshifting.
This wears it out a bit more, but doesnt need much practice and allows the flywheel and transmission speed to match on their own via simple friction.
Works the same way on most cars too as its not dependent on throttle mapping, just on the clutches bite point and components revs.
Civic si and Integra down shift with Rev matching so there no need for heel toe down shifts. Unless I was racing around I never wasted my time Rev matching my downshifts.
@@robertblack6630 thats crazy but not all of us drive brand new cars. Auto rev match wasn't a thing on the civic until 10th gen for type r and 11th gen for Si. My car is far older than that.
Also maybe this is just me but part of the fun of driving manual is nailing each shift. If i want the computer to do a skill I could and should master myself, why wouldn't I?
I bought my first manual transmission car with nothing but videos like these as my knowledge base. The first couple days were rough but in about a week I became very confident with shifting gears. I’ve now been driving a stick for a little over a year and am very proud to have picked up this skill.
I'm gonna start to learn how to drive manual out of necessity. Ended up buying a cheap manual 2003 Toyota Echo today because I couldn't afford anything else. Wish me luck.
@@Seekingtruth-mx3uru got a cool little car that’ll be reliable for you. and the fact that’s it manual will allow it to be fun and satisfying to drive. be proud a what u got and have fun brother
@@pepefrog7456 thanks man I'll make the best of it while I get something better in the future.
@@Seekingtruth-mx3ur Take a day to drive around in an empty parking lot. Get comfortable taking off and stopping. That was my biggest issue but once I got a hang of it everything else was simple enough.
Also, I drove with magnet on the back of my car that said “Learning to drive stick”. It helped to ease the stress that came with my first couple weeks of learning.
@@Seekingtruth-mx3urhow’d you end up driving it home??
What you are teaching in this vid is INVALUABLE and can be the difference between life and death. Sure, in the city, on the highway with cruise control you don’t think about it, but on long drives through mountain/country backroads, the most common mistake I see is people pumping the brakes all the time. That’s a recipe for disaster, especially if it’s really hot, you’re going downhill and the car is full of people. Being able to downshift, rev match and use the engine brake is a must and I can honestly say that in 2 spontaneous unexpected situations those skills have saved my life. It’s why I have trouble trusting automatic transmissions
I learned how to drive a manual car in 2017. I didn't have a clue how to drive one before then, but I wanted to have a basic understanding about how the process worked before test driving my first manual car purchase. I found a guy in my area on craigslist who was offering manual driving lessons.
While he did teach me the basics, the thing I remember the most was practically crying throughout the lesson from the amount he was yelling at me for "ruining his car". It wasn't like I was mashing gears on purpose or anything, just a little grinding that you'd expect from a beginner. And don't get me started on the yelling from rolling back a little on hill starts.
All in all, he DID teach me how to drive a manual car, but not without traumatizing me in the process. I wish you were my teacher!
People who don't have the patience to teach and can't handle some wear on their vehicle shouldn't be teaching how to drive a manual
This is wild! I have never heard of anyone giving lessons from a craigslist ad. how much did he charge?
A little grinding is already TOO MUCH grinding
That’s ridiculous!😂 what did he expect from a complete beginner😂
Sounds like you should be happy you didn't lose a kidney tbh.
As someone who has never even been behind the wheel of a manual transmission car, this was extremely easy to understand and follow along. The multiple camera POVs really helps.
Having been spoiled with a life of automatic transmissions, driving a manual seems a bit complicated and frustrating, but then I think about some of the types of people I know or have seen driving manuals 😅
Then I realize if they can freakin do it I could definitely do it😂
Dont be too cocky. The best drivers I have ever met where people that would be considered not very book smart. Especially if you have been driving automatic for a long time then its even harder then if you started manual. Dont know if you are male or female but if female, will be even harder because they are already poor drivers.
Gender has nothing to do with manual driving experience lol
There is NO WAY you can learn to drive a manual from just listening to someone. LOL
It takes MANY MANY MANY MANY failed tries and Lots and Lots and even More Stalling in traffic looking like a fool, before you can drive like he does.
And don't get me started on an uphill in a manual if your not comfortable with manual. LOL..
@@aigomorla chill with the caps, nobody said you can learn to drive from a video.. it obviously takes practice
@@aigomorla its not that hard...
to all the newbies who are thinking this is too much and you can never drive, i used to think the same but now my brain does this automatically. you just need to practice daily.
This is easy as hell, idk why people say it is hard. I only had any issue in the first 10 minutes +/- driving a manual in the driving classes I had.
It is literally just pressing a pedal and moving a stick.
@@AnekoF90 some lower cc cars can stall easily while using clutch that's why it could be difficult for some guys.
bro ive been learning for 4 months now im convinced i will never learn
@@hacksm1th do you have to rev match every time you downshift?
It's not hard to do it on an empty street.
What is hard to do is when you panic and there are a lot of traffic or sticky situations.
Another hard thing is manual car differs so much from one car to another. They behave all differently. Getting to know your own car is easy but to master some other peoples car, you need to get familiar with that first.
Diesel vs gasoline for example.
Another thing is the older manual car is also harder to drive than the newer with automatic start engine incase you mis clutch etc.
Older ones are much much lessa automatic.
There is a reason why manual is a thing of the past since it's more complicated than it SHOULD be.
Computers are doing everything even better than humans nowadays and the future is even more towards that direction.
You’re a great teacher. Patient, takes it slow, and explains it simply
I asked my Dad to teach me how to drive a manual, I knew the basics already but his teaching really helped me a lot to properly learn. It was really an excuse to spend more time with him though.
W son
The trick that always makes it click in people’s heads when I teach them is this: when the car starts rolling, most people’s reactions are “yay! I did it!” and just completely let off the clutch at that point, causing the car to either stall or lurch forward. Instead, once the car starts rolling, you have to go even slower in releasing the clutch. The period after the biting point is the most important part of getting started.
My wife’s problem is literally the amount of force required to let the clutch out smoothly. If you’re not using to doing it, it’s difficult to not just dump the clutch. Then she panicks about stalling and floors the gas ,So everytime she starts from a stop she just peels out 😂
@@eurly93 it works a weird muscle in your leg that you really never use outside of the clutch so it takes some mind-muscle connection development for sure
Yup, you bring it to the contact point and hold it there for a moment
Not to mention, that its a really "tactile" experience, despite all of the advices and lessons, it is still just practice, but having total control over the speed of the car is really a game changer, specially on tight or dangerous situations.
Learned that today ! Couldn't figure out why it kept stalling , once I got rolling I let it out to fast, had to easy off it slower with some gas and it was perfect
I'm from Greece and despite the last decade 97% of cars if not all were manual transmission so it really feels something normal for us, but i will never forget my father teaching me how to drive...fun times. You have a good way of teaching other people, congratulations. To whoever watching this, you got it, it's only hard at first.
I have a question. When you have to slow down do you have to put the clutch first then brake or just put the brake? Slowing down I mean like if your driving and someone infront slows down you slow down but don’t stop
@@jadenkumar You can drive a manual car lots of ways. There are ways witch are better for the car or that are more economical, but in the end you chose the way you drive. When driving a manual you need to look at two things: the rotations per minute that your engine is doing (rpm) and the gear you are in. Every car has an idle rpm. This is the rate your car engine has to turn, to be able to run. You car keeps this rate up (if it can), however if you don't press on the clutch and shaft is connected, by braking you can slow the engine down so low that it stalls. Imagine it this way: if the clutch is pressed (or you are in natural) the engine and the wheels are separated, the wheels can spin quickly and the engine can still be at idle (like if you are rolling down a hill in natural), but if you are in gear and you don't press the clutch, the wheels and the engine are connected. If you press on the brake and slow the car to a stop you will slow the engine to a stop as well. So the only thing you have to look at is keeping the engine in it's operating range. Not always will you have to press the clutch, as you only slow down a little. A lot of gears can handle a lot of speed. For example in most cars you can get going from a full stop in second gear. But if you slow down enough or you are coming to a full stop, you will have to press the clutch to let the engine maintain the idle rpm. I hope this helps. If you have any further questions, let me know and I will help out if needed!
@@jadenkumar you can brake and press the clutch at the same time to downshift a gear and back to accelerate nicely to fit speed to your needs/wills
Same in Ireland
Seems everyone has that nightmare father/son story of driving manual transmissions. Mine legitimately told me yrs ago I was "never" going to be able to drive one.
Thanx Dad, for the no confidence boost back then. Now; there's RUclips :)
Hey Tedward, even though the video is over a year old for me. I really enjoy it. I have never driven a stick shift before, I'm a 21 y/o auto mechanic so I get the logistics in my head of how everything works, but I've never had the opportunity to learn before. Recently I've had a desire to buy a manual vehicle. I have my eyes set on a 2024 Honda Civic Si. I've watched this video at least 100x trying to study it. My girlfriend has a stick shift and she's been driving a stick for years. So she just started teaching me and I actually am a natural for it. I’m not sure if it's my mechanical inclination or your videos. But your video has helped so much. I'm getting better and better at it every time I get behind the wheel. I wanted to learn before I went out and bought the Honda Civic Si. The hardest part is getting the car rolling for me. I definitely stalled out quite a few times on the first day, but the more I do it the more I understand it. She's also an old school manual driver, so her ways are a lot different than yours, but the idea of it is the same.
Long story short, I just wanted to share my experience and say thank you for creating such an awesome tutorial.
Something very important that you forgot to mention on the video that some people may not know and cause an accident: If you were to start moving on a uphill, specially with older cars because they dont have hill start assistance, if you release the brakes to press the accelerator your car is going to roll back, so to prevent this you can use your handbrake (also known as E-brake, emergency brake, parking brake or whatever, its a lot of names) to hold the car still, then you release a bit of your clutch with the car engaged in first until it starts bitting, apply a bit of gas and then you release your parking brake, if you do it right (practice on a safe environment first plz) you will not roll back. Another way to do it (but you need to have more experience first) is learning to hold the car only with the clutch (BE AWARE that doing this for longer than necessary will worn your cluch much faster than expected, so as i said before, practice it on a safe environment), to do it you first (with your right foot on the brake) release the clutch slowly until it starts bitting (you will feel the car shake), then you can slowly release your brake, after that you can apply more gas and fully release the clutch, done right your car will not roll back (you know the drill, practice, safe environment)
More experienced people can correct me if im wrong on anything or give your own suggestions (there is more advanced techniques like heel toe but i dont think thats necessary) please correct me or share it
To the technique without the parking, e.... brake and just the pedals, i would not say you can hold most cars uphill only with your clutch in position. But maybe that's just the steeper inclines here in the alps ;-) In seriousness, i would say it's almost the same as with the parking/e-/...brake.
-> Feeling until the clutch bites (a tiny bit more) and changing from brake to throttle fast (but only enough throttle to not stall it but enough in conjunction with the clutchposition to not rol back) and keep releasing the clutch as soon as you are on the throttle, not too slow but not too fast.
As you said, needs some practice, a little feeling for the specific car and can vary in difficulty between different vehicles. (Old low powered gasoline/petrol cars -> more difficult; newer cars or old powerfull Diesel powered cars-> more easy)
But it can be done. I am by far not among the worlds best drivers but i have done it successfuly that way for over 24 years, even on snow and ice.
At first i tought you were adressing the left foot braking issue... when you get used to a manual transmission and think you can left foot brake a car without concentrating incredibly hard on the pressure you are applying.😁
3:22
In my country, a hill-start training is mandatory for your license. Every country should include basic manual stuffs like these
or just hold your clutch at the bite point,let off the brakes and give it gas.
couldnt get any simpler
@@razumikhim i mentioned that, but i gave a more detailed explanation for the people who need it
I’ve been driving stick for about 8 years and was doing everything correctly except for matching the downshifts. This was very detailed and just flowed well. I’m looking forward to improving my technique
I mean, I learnt to drive in a manual and I've tried rev matching many times. As much as I enjoy it, on the avg Indian road just slowly taking your foot off the clutch is better than rev matching cuz we have to slow down anyways 😂. So yeah, what I do is I slowly take the foot of the clutch and give a tiny bit of throttle.
You don’t need to rev match for
99% of driving. It’s an advanced driving technique to reduce forces back through the transmission and engine when decelerating hard. It’s for racing drivers. Normal driving involves letting off the accelerator, tapping the brakes and smoothly changing down. Giving a tap to the accelerator to rev match is only done when driving really hard.
@@Dreyno It will increase wear on components like the synchronizer but like you said it's not a necessity for daily driving.
You‘re absolutly right with that. If driving in normal traffic there is absolutly no need for rev matching when shifting down. Just do it as you‘re deceleraing. Also you need not be in gear all the time. If you need to fully stop just press the clutch and come to a stop. Most people here in germany will even engage the first gear instaniniously if they are in stop and go traffic. Also most people only clutch in first if they are in first gear for everything above that you first break and then go for the clutch.
Don't stress it. Rev matching is never really needed. Some claim you wear your clutch out not doing it, but it will never be enough to be significant. If you want to do it because you find that it is smoother, go ahead, but forget the arguments about ruining the clutch.
I won't lie this actually made me driving a manual less stressful. Thanks my man. 💯😎
im 22, never had anyone to teach me how to drive a manual trans. This video has helped me more than you could ever know. I'm super excited to test drive a 2025 Civic Si soon
PSA: When practicing heel-toe for the first times, make sure there's no car behind you!
Modern cars have pretty sensitive brake pedals, and you can quite easily brake-check someone by accident when rotating your foot to reach the throttle
Honestly whenever you are practicing something new even as a veteran driver, you should do it in a place with no traffic
Simple question here, can heel-toe downshifts be done a diesel engine too ? Or it is pointless ? Because for me, this skill was reserved for petrol cars and not diesel ones
What? You make sure there is no car INFRONT of you!
@@nearlyretired7005 Try real heel and toe (lift your heel) and report back
@Kaspeer not that easily for big diesel engines (greater than 2 litres, I think), because their RPMs rise considerably more slowly compared to those of petrol engines.
This is especially the case if your vehicle's engine has a dual-mass flywheel. You can only find this out through the technical specifications for your vehicle, but if you for example rev the engine by pressing the clutch pedal and then the accelerator/gas pedal, or keep your gearstick in neutral and then press the gas pedal to rev the engine, you'll notice the RPMs rising about half a second after you press the pedal.
I learned on a Yugo. After that nothing has been a problem.
Great insight, Jeff.
Humble beginnings, Jeffery
Good one Jeff! You know what they say, the faster you run the faster Yugo!
Cheers Jeff
LMAO da hell you doing here dawg💀💀💀
Bought a 6MT Veloster N with no experience driving MT before in my life (spent 3 hours in a parking lot after buying the car to learn it), then drove 200 miles to get back home since I bought the car in a different city.
Your videos have definitely helped me a ton in the do's/donts! I'm coming up on my 3rd* week and haven't stalled for awhile when I drive the car / feel way more confident in it. This video definitely drives it home/reinforces the basics.
If you're considering an MT car but are scared to learn, don't be! I was discouraged at first but found that there is more than enough out there to learn, with videos like this one.
I think the other saying that stuck with me, slow is fast, fast is slow!
Thanks for the awesome videos!
Im in the same boat, got a MT Supra coming at the end of october and I never driven stick but I bought the car in a different city. Gotta learn the day of so I am here watching this video lol
@@deeboh1629 Thats a sick car, and congrats on the purchase! You'll probably feel more anxious as the day comes to go get your car, but that'll go away the more confident you get in driving it. I think my first week with the car home I was actually scared of the car because I was still stalling here and there (for dumb silly mistakes, like coming to a complete stop, and then lifting off the clutch pedal while still in gear, oops).
The biggest thing for me was listening to the car when practicing shifting into first and lifting the clutch, and hearing the audible change in engine noise when the clutch is at the "bite point". I probably practiced this a bunch in the parking lot nearby the car dealer. As I got more comfortable just getting the car "rolling" forward in 1st with no throttle, I practiced adding a little more throttle at the bite point and releasing the clutch.
The only con I guess I can say that you will maybe experience is you'll likely be looking for more excuses to drive the car when you get more comfortable 🤣. I'm always looking for an excuse to drive mine, and sometimes take a longer route going home if it means just a few more minutes of driving time.
Always happy to share my experiences if it helps even a little, and you're definitely in the right place watching these videos too! I always try to be a lot more mindful of how I'm treating my car because of information like how its mentioned in this video.
you are brave. most people who learn to drive stick take several weeks to get comfortable to even drive it out on the road but you on the otherhand, bought it and drove 200 miles back the same day after learning to drive MT for 3 hours. that takes balls of steel tbh
@@fearnot82 😅I guess thinking back on it, it was absolutely a crazy thing to do... I just kept telling me self "the car is an automatic, but I am the transmission" LOL. Semi spoiled by the modern MT mechanics too as well (like hill assist/rev matching), but boy did I stall a bajillion times in those 3 hours in that parking lot.
I'm positive that day if my car had feelings and it could talk it would've cussed me out in at least 20 different languages.
No regrets though, just happy I got home safely and all of that. Probably wouldn't want to live through that again though 🤣
i don't understand this, i think its not uncommon to see ppl that never driven a car, enter the car and drive naturally, that happened to me when i was 14. It was a manual in an interstate highway, no engine stall no nothing, ofcourse my dad didn't let me go over 55mph but was fun anyway. The only drawback was that in the way back the police gave me a ticket. From that moment on until i took my license i only used the car in city limits where police wouldn't be.
Best manual gear tutorial I found online..
Only 4 minutes in and I can already tell this is an insanely good tutorial for the beginner. So well done on the physics of mating the transmission to the wheels as well, tedward!
I love the camera setting with both the POV and footcam. Really helps to see what I need to be doing with my hands and feet compared to just narrating it. Very helpful video thank you
Dude, thanks so much for making this. I have this exact car and I’ve been watching all of your videos on it trying to replicate what you do, all the while wishing you would break it down. I have a times become frustrated trying to shift perfectly smooth and not getting it exactly right, and this video is exactly what I was hoping you’d make. Thanks!
The rev lag does affect it, after first gear shift between 2-3k rpm
Dad taught me to drive stick at eleven on a farmer tractor, it was a safe space, he wasn't that patient. After a while it becomes second nature. Now, I can drive any car and auto is easy to me. A tip for those learning manual, after learning, do not keep your cluch foot in there, put it on the side of the clutch, otherwise you will burn it up. I don't even think about it anymore. Practice.
Dude you're a freaking life saver!!!! I've been dying to learn to how drive manual and everybody ese couldn't explain it as clearly as you did in this video. Much love and keep up the good work
Honestly this is the best beginner video ever. I'm into classic cars and I've always been afraid of driving them due to the manual transmissions a lot of them have. This video literally taught me how to drive stick starting from zero. I thank you.
I'm literally 15 watching this and I can't believe It was this simple all along, It used to feel so overwhelming especially when i'd ask my family how do u speed up, what do those gears mean, what is the clutch and what does it do etc.., It now all makes sense thanks to you and I feel like i understood so well That I feel i can go grab my mom's car's keys and drive myself to the gym. Thank you so much man !
Oh man at 14 this video was a saver! I don't know how to drive yet, but my dad taught me how to ride a bike. So gears weren't a new concept, neither was anything technical about driving. I had the knowledge of rev-matching and heel-toe (I also knew very well those are not beginners things) and gears and what not but I've yet to actually do anything real.
I really hope you practiced before trying that. It's pretty easy to stall out when you're first starting
The great thing of driving stick-shift is that you have much more direct feeling of contact with the car! It makes driving a much more interesting and visceral experience even without going fast!
Who else is learning on the bed ? 😂
me but ur moms next to me
@@boomhauer0079 💀
@@boomhauer0079ayo what 😭
Yurr😂
😂me
I haven't driven yet but I always enjoy learning about the 'why' of things, and you compile all of that so well into a reassuring package. The first step to being good at something is being comfortable with it, and you convey it all really well.
Always been impressed at how you're one of the only auto vloggers who drives correctly while reviewing cars (rev-matching downshifts, heel-toe, etc). Maybe I'm not as impressed as I am disappointed in everyone else's severe deficiency, but well done for for keeping the skill alive. People need to know this stuff or else manual will die.
I completely agree. Watching VehicleVirgins lock up the rear axle multiple times during downshifts on his Honda S2000 video gave me heartburn.
It's because rev matching is completely and utterly pointless in any regular car in the last 30 years. Rev matching is only necessary in cars with no synchromesh. Doing stupid shit like heel-toe or left foot braking in normal traffic is significantly more dangerous than just slowing down like a normal person, i.e. stepping on the brakes with your right foot, engaging the clutch right before your car begins stalling, selecting the appropriate gear, disengaging the clutch, and carrying on.
If you're double clutching, heel-and-toe shifting, or left foot braking in actual traffic, you should have your license taken away, because you are **not** a racing driver, and you are endangering others on the road.
@@Redstarka22 You're completely wrong. If you downshift without rev-matching under any circumstances then you are slipping the clutch to the lower gear and causing unnecessary wear on your clutch disc for no reason. Even downshifting smoothly without tipping over your groceries requires rev-matching unless you only drive at very low RPM. Downshifting in a pickup with no weight in the back will lock up the tires if you don't rev-match. It has nothing to do with gearbox synchronization. Modern sychros remove the need for double-clutching, not rev-matching.
Saying you should have your license taken away for driving correctly is maybe the strangest thing I've ever heard on here.
@@CasterTown nobody revmatches in a car except dumbass Americans because they think manuals are somehow unique. If you can't even shift down without tipping your groceries without revmatching, you've either fucked up your car and you should take it to the mechanic, or you don't know how to drive a manual. Slipping your clutch is fine, and the wear you introduce is absolutely minimal. You do not ever need to revmatch in a car outside of a racetrack.
Edit: also, the wear you introduce on your clutch when you start moving in first is literally like 3 orders of magnitude higher than when you downshift without revmatching. That's because forcing the engine to from 2000rpm to 4000rpm is piss easy compared to getting a one-and-a-half tonne vehicle to move from 0-5kph. Yet you don't see people worrying about that...
Revmatching is stupid, and you shouldn't do it on public roads. Anyone who heel-toes in a normal car on public roads should face penalty points on their license.
knew how to drive, but now I know how to rev match and downshift with the heel toe technique in a daily context. Thanks for the video, really instructive and easy to understand!
Great tutorial! I recently learned how to drive a manual about 6 months ago and I'm 33. I like that you've pointed out the biting point and being able to get the car moving without touching the gas pedal at all. A lot of people say to peel off the clutch slowly while gassing, which is pretty much what you do, but for learning purposes, that's omitting a few key things. You don't just roll off the clutch slowly, the cluck has 3 steps, all the way down (disengaged), biting point, and all the way up (engaged). The key isn't to roll off the clutch smoothly and linearly. The key is to get to that biting point quickly, and then remain at the biting point long enough for the rpm to match, and then slowly come off the clutch completely after that.
For modern manual cars, the car will apply enough throttle when on the biting point in first gear to get the car moving. For some cars though, you do have to rev up to about 1200-1500rpm first before you can start messing with the clutch to get to the biting point. Some older cars I've been in will just stall and won't roll at all even if you get to the biting point without giving it some gas yourself first.
Also, heel toe downshifting is different and can be difficult in some cars where the height of the brake pedal and gas pedal makes it tough. In certain cars, you have to be quite deep in the brake pedal to actually be on the same level as the gas pedal so your foot can even hit the gas, which makes it very difficult to heel toe when you're just slowing down slowly.
I first learned to heel and toe in my mom's hyundai getz, i found it really easy, however when i was trying it in my volvo 940, i just couldn't do it. Later on, i somehow adapted, and i find it easy in those cars now. I think that the key may be not to press the brake with the whole foot, but to use the joint of the proximal phalanx and metararsal just on the side of the brake pedal, that allows you to easily turn your whole foot outwards to the right to press the gas while pressing the brake. You don't actually specifically use your heel, it's more of whichever part on the right of the foot touches the gas. With practice you can do it in almost any car (some vans are near impossible) with any moderate to heavy braking intensity. But you're right in that it's useless under mild braking - here i'd just downshift into an appropriate gear first, and then brake normally.
At about 11:00 when you're talking about going to 3rd, or other upper gears -- the thing that I have learned is to not try to over-control the gear shift lever. By this I mean a lot of people grasp the lever with their full hand and then try to feel 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th gears. Even worse, they grasp the knob with their palm over the top. This may work with Ferraris and other cars with exposed gates, but most cars have a boot, and you can't see, and may not be able to feel a gate -- because there may not even be one. The way around this is to use the palm of your open hand to move the lever. So from 2-3 in your car would be done by pushing with your palm straight forward. By not grasping the lever you won't apply any lateral force on the lever and potentially put it into the wrong gear. Instead you allow the spring to do it's job and gently move the shifter from the 1-2 plane to the 3-4 plane of the H. You shift from 3-4 by cupping your fingers around the lever (while NOT grasping it!) and pull the lever straight back. To shift from 4-5 you would use your palm (open hand) to push the lever toward 2:00 o'clock. To shift from 5-6 you backhand (open hand, thumb pointing down) the lever toward 4:00. To go from 6-5, you push the lever toward 2:00 again. From 5-4, you use the cupped fingers of your open hand to pull the lever straight back. From 4-3 you use your palm to push the lever straight forward. From 3-2, you use the cupped fingers of your open hand to pull the lever towards 7:00. To shift into 1st, use the palm of your open hand to push the lever towards 10:00. I learned this technique decades ago driving a Formula Ford, because they don't have gates on their shifters or anywhere else in the linkage. So you shift by pushing the lever in the direction of the gear that you want. It works every time in every car that I've ever driven.
Great insight, I also shift like this.
I've always shifted exactly the same way. The only time I actually grasp the shifter fully is going into first or reverse.
dude what are you on about, it doesn't make a scrap of difference how you grip the shifter hahaha
Nothing beats the feeling of a perfect rev match downshift into a curve!
It absolutely makes up for those moments when you're stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. Yeah, it can be annoying constantly shifting between 1 and 2 when traffic's going under 20 but those weekends in the canyons or along the coast? Absolutely worth it
@@mikeydude750 yes. I live for those windy roads!
@Mansory811 You just don't get it, I guess. You're not going to enjoy bumper to bumper traffic either way, and i guarantee you it's a whole lot more fun when you have a wide open road with some fun curves, and you can row your own gears instead of letting a slushbox do it for you.
@Mansory811 Then they can buy the many hundreds of regular ass cars out there made just for them. Why is it such a problem for you to hear that there are some people who prefer having fun while driving even if it's less comfortable?
My car's suspension is rough and in no way "luxurious" and bumper to bumper traffic around town is more effort. I don't care - the car's more fun to me and the fun weekend romps make up for it.
@Mansory811 Why do people still buy mechanical watches when a cheap quartz watch tells time more accurately than any "precision" mechanical watch could ever hope to? Why do people buy expensive clothing when cheaper clothing would suffice?
My point with the original post was more that I own one car - I use it to daily commute and go through the chores, but I also use it to go out and carve some twisty roads and have a little fun with it. And driving a stick just feels more involved, more engaging, more direct with the road. You're doing more work, you're paying more attention to what your car's doing. It's not technologically superior, hell even most new automatics are going to shift just as far or even faster (Supercars abandoned MTs because frankly no human could shift fast enough). But it's an experience that many people who enjoy the act of driving want.
For getting around town if you don't care for driving, yeah the manual transmission is long obsolete. There's a reason only like 1% of cars sold are manual, and the number's been in the single digits almost as long as I've been alive at this point. But for people who enjoy getting out there on the road, hitting up the track, or just going around some back roads in the country or on some canyon/coastal roads with a lot of curves? It's a hell of a blast IMO. Part of the reason it's fun is BECAUSE you're operating within constraints, you're pushing yourself as well as your car.
This is extremely helpful. As someone who learnt driving with a stick car, I love driving manual, but hasn't done so in a long time. This is a video I will watch again and again.
I bought my first manual car in 2020 without ever having driven one before, took me a good week before I could get it going reliably and a solid month before I stopped stalling for the most part. Very fun to teach yourself how to drive one honestly
Any suggestions on how to drive in the city? Too many stops signs in nyc and it’s really my only main concern of trying out manual transmission
@@vince7230 I drive manual and my only advice is don’t. It’s incredibly tiring changing gears and basically pushing your push against the clutch for that long. Automatic or electric cars are your best friend in the city.
@@vince7230 practice in a parking lot, cemetery, or back alley. Stop and go a hundred times, you'll get it.
Why is everyone in the comments newbies to manual cars? Im from Europe (Belgium) and 95% of us here drive manual cars. Im 18 and have my “manual” drivers license
@@diablo5028 Because most people in the US have automatic cars. They don't teach you to drive manual cars in driving school and there is no manual drivers license here.
Life recently threw me a curveball, and I've now ended up driving a manual car. I
I'm so glad I came across your video! Super insightful and great quality content!
Tenia mas de 7 años sin manejar un auto manual, gracias a ti pude ir por mi carro nuevo y manejarlo sin problemas a casa
Hands down, best how to drive a manual video I've watched.
Thank you!!
4:00 - regarding the manual shifters: it is important to always start the car with clutch pedal pressed down (whether you start the car in first or neutral while clutch pedal is pressed is irrelevant) - just starting the car in neutral will put additional stress to a starter since it will have to spin not only the engine but also the gearbox. Neutral is as much a gear as any, with the only difference that it does not connect to the differential. So always start the car with clutch down to completely disengage the gearbox from engine. Just wanted to point that out.
@Jessica Suzumiya Seems to me you just want to throw out some knowledge and make you look good and all but... wait what?
What are you talking about? You do know that engaging the clutch will completely disconnect the engine from the gearbox right? It doesn't matter if you're starting the car in 6th gear for all you want, pressing the clutch down will still disconnect the entire transmission from your engine (hopefully you don't start driving from standstill in that gear though). Now starting in neutral without pressing the clutch down - that makes it worse in any case, you are spinning the neutral gear in the transmission as well, as well as the clutch. And that's extra stress for the starter, and your battery.
What a beautiful interior! I love driving manuals, they're so much more engaging and encourage more mindfulness I think. I'm watching this to get some "detail" tips to drive it better because while I've been doing it for years, I don't think I'm doing it as well as I could. Great vid
Automatic transmission is better!
@@codeinecrazyfuture rEeeeEEeeeEeeEE
@@dantosinferne what do you mean by that?
Most cohesive manual tutorial I've seen to date. Thanks Ted.
Thank you!
Was going out with a girl who wanted me drive her automatic car. As a man I was not willing to admit I couldn’t drive stick, watched your video on 2x speed and drove off flawlessly
You’re a legend! Thanks for having my back
It's good idea to make videos like that, I am 15 years old and I have driven a couple of times and these videos help me a lot! Keep the good work, Tedward, thank you very much!
This video helped me so much when I first started driving a manual. The video is simple and informative and even the car used makes it easy to follow along. This is definitely the best quality video on manual driving basics. And of course, Tedward being Tedward just makes the video all the more enjoyable.
Tedward: "You don't need the throttle to start rolling"
Me: *laughs in carburetor*
*laughs in 2000 RPM idle*
Man i had a old land cruiser and i still use throttle to start rolling 🤯😹😹😹
*laughs in C4 Corvette 4+3*
Laughs idly*
wait i was so confused as to how he started rolling with out giving it any gas, is it just because his car idles higher?
allready knew how to drive, but never unterstood what rev matching is UNTIL NOW. thank you. earned a follow.
With how well Tedward explains things I feel like he is/would be a great father.
i am 12 years old .therefore my father doesnt let me to drive but now, i can drive my father,s nissan b13 . than you so much 🙏
I taught my son to *OPERARATE* a manual shift car when he was 5 years old. He use to drive around the farm in a little Suzuki pick-up truck on his own with out me in the truck. He took to it like a duck to water. When we lived in Ireland and he was 6 years old I let him drive me from Ballyheigue to Ballyduff on the road and he was so chuffed at that age to be given the chance to do that. It is a memory we will always share as father and son. I know I should never have done it but hey there are not many people that have experienced that with their son at the age of 6.
He is now 40 years old and he still tells me how cool it was that I trusted him to do that. Had the police caught us it may not have been so cool. I love my son.
That is beautiful
This is by far the most clear and easy understanding video I have ever seen that teach you how to drive a manual shift car. Thank you!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I learned how to drive a manual last year on my new GLI Autobahn ‘6MT - I have over 5k miles on it now and never understood how to heel-toe and rev match - hence I still have a tendency to lurch backwards when downshifting. This was a very helpful demo!
My husband (who is an incredible teacher) tried teaching me a stick shift. I thought it was so complicated and overwhelming. Watched this video, and BOOM drove us all around, stop and go traffic in LA. This video is pure gold. Thank you!!!
I watched this video 2 times, first time in 2020 and 2nd time in 2024 when I'm a experienced driver believe helped me so much
I've watched a ton of tutorial videos in the last few days and none are as good as this one. I just want you to know how much I appreciate it. Thank you for doing this!
Thank you!!
You are a great teacher! Your explanation is so raw and quite understandable by any beginner
nothing beats a driving tutorial on my dream car
Vauxhall Astra 2002 sexiest beginner car
Driving since 2018, still learning something new everyday. Thank you 💓
So you need to be careful when doing a heel toe that the gas pedal can be reached easely. I have a 2019 Opel Corsa and you can't heel toe on it because the gas pedal is way lower than the brake pedal so in order to heel toe you need to brake seriously hard (like in an emergency stop). So get comfortable with your pedals and look if it's even possible first before trying it.
Depending on the car, I have found that one of two techniques will generally work. In my 911 that has a hard, un-boosted brake pedel and a well aligned throttle I will brake with the ball of my right foot and breath the throttle with the outer portion of my heel. In other more modern cars with soft, boosted brakes I may brake with the arch of my foot and use my outer toes to breath the throttle.
In either case I don't "blip" the throttle. That spins the engine up and down too quickly. I've found the analogy that they used to use in Skip Barber works well. You want the engine to swell as you match rev's. You want a sort of "YOUnggggaaaa" sound from the engine that lasts 2 to 3 seconds, not a stab that spikes the revs (a Zoom!).
I find the same issue with my 05 Civic. Oh well, at least it gives me practice braking late into turns.
@@username8644 True. Heel&toeing at mild levels of braking (as usually seen on the street) doesn't often work very well and is kind of pointless, especially since often braking is to a complete stop at stop lights and stop signs.
It's been 4 months since I purchased a 6 speed 2001 NB2. As of today, I know how to rev match from 4th to 3rd but still terrified to go from 4th to 3rd and 3rd to 2nd. After watching your footwork from 3rd to 2nd made me realized how patience you were in releasing the clutch, which I'm going to try. I realized that I release my clutch to quick. Thanks for posting such an awesome video.
Personally don't recommend you shift down to 2nd gear when coming to a stop unless coming traffic requires second gear. It's best and safest to just clutch and brake from 3rd gear as 3rd provides more than enough engine brake to slow down the car to (my case 30km/h). Only then I clutch and brake (saves both brakes and clutch)
(edit) Safest because in the case of the need to braking hard, you might find yourself stuck trying to change down gears when traffic ahead is suddenly stopping which may lead to an accident. Second gear's engine brake is also very strong and unless your foot is on the brake, people behind you may not realise your're braking and might hit you.
@@hamzasami8362 thank you so much for the helpful response. Luckily I haven't practiced my 3rd to 2nd yet 😅. I'll keep the tips in mind and avoid it. 😉 thank you!
Rev matching is only required when driving fast to minimise the force coming back through the transmission and engine from changing into a lower gear. At normal speeds you release the throttle and change when appropriate. Unless you’re thrashing a car around a track, you probably will never need to rev match changing down into 2nd gear.
I really wish I’d been taught like this, and including heel-toe downshifting. It’s hard to break bad habits after years of leaning too much on the clutch to do the work
I'm glad! I think its important to expose people to good rev matching techniques early for this exact reason. They probably won't perfect it for a while but know that its a good habit will hopefully avoid creating bad ones
I recently got a 2025 Honda Civic SI and it was my second time driving a manual (I test drove a Type R at a dealership once) and it went relatively well (still learning). This video has been super helpful for both occasions!
Very useful video especially traveling abroad in countries where only stick shifts are available
I just got my own new Si after only owning automatics and this helped SO MUCH, probably because its the exact same car, but I'm so glad I was prepared to get it home and I've had a blast driving it so far. Thank you for making this.
Ted you are amazing for this. U made this very clear and easy to follow with no extra BS thank U!
Glad it was helpful!
lol, my mom could teach you, but she is 85yrs and get into a bad temper if you mess up!
You explain things the way a brain would learn it. This is what makes a good teacher.
And as someone who has driven stick (illegally) for 2 years, you have spoken the truth.
I’ve taught quite a few people and would say rev matching and heel toe should be a part 2 video because a lot of the time most people have trouble just going back and forth through the gears and dumping the clutch. No matter how slow you tell them to get off the clutch, they’re not sensitive enough to it. My suggestion is during a downshift braking first or coming off throttle to let the car slow down and once they drop into the lower gear, pausing as the ROM’s climb and then coming off the clutch once the revs begin to fall (speeds matched). It’s easy when you’ve driven for months or years but definitely not to someone who doesn’t even know what drivetrain layout they have.
Do you know what is the best way to drive in traffic or in the city where there are a lot of stop/starts? People suggested clutch control, but note that it will wear out your clutch, whereas others advised to just creep in 1st gear during heavy traffic and only disengage the clutch when needed if the rpms are below the idle point. Then again, people argue that a clutch is meant to be used, so there is no need to worry about it. Idk which side is even right considering that I haven't learned how to drive an actual car yet, but I am doing my best to be prepared for it tho. I need desperate help lol.
@@coolbro_2963 My suggestion is going to be more of an overall tip than a black and white answer. I’ll explain afterward. The goal when driving a manual is to be proactive rather than reactive, especially when first starting out. Therefore instead of speeding up to traffic and then braking, you want to pace yourself so that you continue rolling as much as possible. Don’t be pressured into accelerating just because a 1 car gap turned to a 3 car gap. And when encountering stop signs/ speed bumps, you want to make the car almost come to a stop and use the release of the clutch to bump the car( this has a lot to do with timing and understanding the car you’re in). I offer this because as a beginner it is usually a lot harder to get the car moving from a standstill. Another circumstance is taking advantage of gravity if you’re facing downhill in the direction you’re already going, then allow the car to roll before engaging the clutch (can usually skip 1st gear like this also) which will make the takeoff easier. These are generalizations but do work on the majority of cars while the mindset look ahead will prove worthy for everything. Now some factors to take into consideration is the engine power curve (usually the larger the engine, the easier the takeoff), flywheel mass (heavier = easier), clutch type (race/ aggressive = harder), gear ratio (more multiplication is easier). In stop and go traffic my preference is to roll in 2nd gear, however when driving a lower power 4 cylinder I usually have to drop down to 1st on flat ground or inclines depending how slow traffic is going. In a v6 or v8, you can usually stay in second unless dropping below 3mph ish. The last little tactic I use is to simply put it into gear and get the car rolling and then put into neutral and control the car with the brakes. This is done mostly on downhills or flat ground where the car doesn’t bleed off speed to fast. Understand the fundamentals and what can and can’t be done. From there just drive how you want. Sometimes I ride the clutch and sometimes I’m using it like a light switch. Don’t stress about it too much as long as you enjoy driving!
One thing I'd add for beginners: although it might be fun to down shift, remember that brakes are cheaper than clutch. In most cases it's better just to brake in gear as long as possible, then just go to neutral. Another good practice, especially on older cars with slightly worn syncros, is to never use more than 3 fingers of comfortable force to engage any gear. Treat the gears like they're made of glass and they'll last forever.
gearboxes don't wear out if you rev match reasonably well
Everheard of revmatching ?
To the other comments: Revmatching reduces wear on clutch. Has zero effect on the synchro wear (hint: as long as you press the clutch, what you do with the engine does not affect the gearbox).
If you want to reduce synchro wear you need to double-clutch
Any car made in the last 30 years requires absolutely no rev matching. You are not saving your synchros, you are not saving your clutch, in fact, you're probably making things worse because you are not a racing driver, and you don't know what you're doing
@@Redstarka22 technically you dont need too. but there are many cars that will really bog down f.e. if you try to downshift from fifth to third for overtaking a lorry (meaning revs need to go up from 2500rpm to 4000rpm) and only rely on the transmission and clutch to match the revs. the car will jolt massively and put much wear on it, plus it feels bad. or you have to feed in the clutch veeeeeeeeeeery slowly which is quite awkward because you will also slow down considerably doing that in this situation. a short throttle blip is much smoother and and quicker and takes not much learning if you understand the principle.
heel and toe on the other hand, especially in a modern eco car with very sensible brake and sometimes weirdly programmed gas pedal can be quite a hand full and should not be practiced on the open road as a beginner. can become very dangerous.
found a guy on reddit a few weeks ago who let me learn a bit in his 2020 Civic, already had experience with motorcycles so it wasn't super hard. definitely my biggest problem was letting the clutch out too quickly since on these newer Civics it seems like the friction zone is small and very high up on the clutch, whereas i'm used to letting out the whole thing quickly on a motorcycle. definitely hoping i can get a manual in my next car! fantastic video as always, wish i could get you in the seat next to me for some learning lol
Different cars of the same model can have the clutch bite differently. Depends on how it’s adjusted and how much wear is on it. Another Civic might feel different.
@@Dreyno fair enough! still haven't had much chance to drive any other manuals yet :(
@@veganjoy Just so you know, you can also adjust the clutch on a fwd car so the bite point can be up or down depending on how you like it. I don't recommend doing this all the time though, usually it's done when you install a new clutch
@@lol-ws6pobeen driving manual for a bit now, got an nd miata a few months ago. clutch is perfect so far, heel-toe is fun as hell
This is the best tutorial ive ever seen. Thankyou sir!
Just a recommendation if you ever get the time but time stamps in the video would be super helpful for videos like these
Will do!
Great stuff, I've been driving sticks for over 30 years and never really mastered heel toe downshifting. You break it down so easy! Will definitely practice when I get my nd2 in the near future 😀
Well some cars are basically impossible to do it in and some are very easy. Pedal placement, throttle mapping, and your engine make huge differences.
Mustangs are super easy to heel toe. Good pedal placement, great throttle response and very rev happy engines. Very easy and predictable to learn throttle and engine response characteristics.
LS motors suck to rev match. Camaros and corvettes have fine pedal placement and throttle mapping, but their engines have too much rotational inertia so when you blip the throttle at low rpm the engine kind of fights back and doesn’t want to spin up quickly at first but then once it’s going, it revs quickly so it makes it hard to time with the shift
My lancer couldn’t heel toe cos the pedals were far apart😂
@Paul D. my bmw has weird throttle mapping that makes it hard
Awesome video and explanation of the mechanics and how to have a smooth transition into the actual driving itself. Enjoyed it and learnt a ton.
The best driving tutorial I've seen so far, and I've been around for a BIT. Great work!
Thank you for the amazing video! I’ve been watching a lot of your videos recently since I’m going to be ordering a new WRX tomorrow. Only problem is that I’ve never driven a manual before so I’ll need to find someone’s car to practice on before mine is delivered. Thank you again! Your explanation of how the clutch works helped me understand the reasoning behind each step of driving a manual
Love seeing your explanations even though I already know everything. I also reccomend newbies learning double clutching after this. May not be needed, but helpful if you have a worn synchro.
Great video, you're a really good teacher. I've driven manual all my life since I live in the UK, and I've been teaching my wife (who's from USA) but she won't really try it. I saw this video, and thought the way you explain things is pretty good and would be good for a beginner. I know how a manual operates but it's hard actually teaching it and explaining why things happen the way they do without actually being aware of why.
Same with her - she's an English teacher and teaches me things all the way, things I didn't know were a thing that I just did as a native English speaker. It's crazy!
Where you say the clutch starts to catch, we call it the 'biting point'. Like when you release the clutch and feel the car start to move. Or when you have the handbrake on, releasing the clutch and feel the car want to move.
So it's been three or more years since I've driven a manual.. and I'm just now starting to watch this video, and let me say all the other videos I've found on all social platforms this one is the top one I've come by so far. I have just recently gotten a 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid that is Electric and a manual. I'm relearning how to drive a manual again, I have followed your Instagram because the way you teach me "everyone" in this video is amazing, it has really helped me and I'm only 3 minutes in so far, I can't wait to watch the rest of it. I'll do an update on how this has helped me with my car, thank you for taking time out of your day to make this video for everyone to use and see in order to learn about how to drive a manual :)
Watching from Brazil, it's interesting to see how complicated something can get from a simple reason. Since, like, 80% of our cars here are manual, we all have to learn how to drive in those types of cars anyways. No driving school teaches with an automatic. So we are kind of forced into not finding it too complicated. It's as simple as a lack of reference.
thanks dude, stealing a manual rn and didn’t know how to start it
If you're just starting with manual don't worry about downshifting or rev matching
And it might make it way easier if you just imagine every time you press the clutch that you are connecting and disconnecting the engine from the wheels
This is hands down the best manual driving video on the internet!
Thank you!!
It's funny. I'm a Dutch person and we get thought manual in driving school but NEVER had I been thought rev matching. I didn't find out about that until I got into SIM racing lol. Also I never put my car in neutral. I was always taught to leave it in gear when parked and as soon as you enter the vehicle foot on the clutch :D
Thanks for making such a clear tutorial with the two different camera angles and fully explaining the whole process, I'm purchasing a 2019 WRX and picking it up in a week or so and I'm nervous about getting it off the lot.
It is a 5months ago comment, so, where is your WRX, mate?
@@nikostalk5730 Never ended up getting it tbh, the dealer didn't realise someone else had already put a deposit on it when I was talking to them
Sad😢 everyone should learn maanual when getting their permit. And provisional license
@@itsNep_ so what did you end up getting?
@@serpentblaze6702 Ended up with a 2019 Golf R with the DSG, couldn't find any manuals but it's been a very fun car so far
I'm 15 and I am absolutely amazed that most people have not a clue on how to drive manual (or stick as Americans call it) this video came up on my recommended and I was curious to see how he explains it, I must say I am impressed by his explanation however, mid blown that some people in their 20s have not a clue how to do manual transmission or how to have good clutch control. this isn't a criticism by the way it's just manual transmission is considered standard here in the uk...
I’ve been to the USA and yeah all those adults there, a lot of them don’t know manual. When I lived there I was only a teenager but it’s evident that automatic is used everywhere
*i took my dad's car will he was a sleep for a "chill drive". When back home he was waiting for me in front of the door. he said how are you supposed to know how to drive you don't have a license and told me to get in the car so he can see how i managed not to roll it over in a round-about.
I showed him all i know and he was specially impressed by the Rev Match technique, then i showed him your channel. Thank you so much bro you are the best.*
Me watching without having a car
Its like 5 months left until i can start driving lol
me watching knowing 5 more years till I get a license
It's a year later, did you get a car bro?
@@yootoobdude nah bro😕💔
Me to@@jxouaediitsc
Who else is watching this is bed😂😂
best way to learn
😂😂😂 you got me
Do you really need to rev match driving normally unless you're trying to maintain speed or go for a lower gear to take advantage of the power to climb a hill or pass etc.? I was taught to just match my gear to the speed I'm going. As a side note, what helped me click with understanding how it works is allowing different gears to pull me at their idle speed, as it stopped me being scared of stalling out by understanding it would only stall out if i forced the rpm under idle by being in the wrong gear for my speed. Would appreciate your thoughts on this purely because lots of people I know drive without using rev matching much, for example slowing down to take a junction from 3rd->2nd they wouldn't rev match to 3rd, they would just slow down and change gear. I might be answering my own question but I suppose one benefit is that you would be holding the clutch down for shorter periods of time?
I'm just curious and trying to get a better understanding myself. Great video as always, very clear for anyone new to manuals.
Yes you must rev match! If you waited until the car matched the speed you’d be at idle on the next lower gear. That’s way too much time rolling and not having control over the power delivery.
Slowly letting up the clutch kind of does the same as rev matching, since you are just slowly bringing the engine speed up to the transmissions speed. But rev matching is the proper way to do it since it's faster and doesn't require playing around with the clutch.
I rev match when I come to my exit of an expressway and engine brake for the car to slow down on its own.
@@s2000. That creates a lot of wear on the clutch slipping it like that rather than matching the speed. You want the clutch and flywheel spinning at the same rate when they connect. The only Time this isn't possible is when you start from 0.
@Tedward I love your vids but you're overreacting here. I bet 99 - 99.9% of people don't rev match. If your driving around town at 1000-2500 rpm the kinetic energy of the engine is quite low
4:48 ted what happened at the CVS
Oh theres news articles every month about people who crash through storefronts
Very nice tutorial. I would have liked to see a STEEP hill start, where you need brake to prevent from rolling backwards. That's the hardest part of driving stick shift IMO.
Feet on brake and clutch. Prepare yourself mentally to very quickly get your right foot on the gas pedal (before you roll backwards). Right foot on throttle. Apply throttle to around 2-2,5k rpm. Release the clutch (feel it out). Ideally, you release the clutch in such a way that you hover around that rpm range until the wheels are spinning fast enough that you can let go of the clutch fully
I'd love a really good heel/toe video from you! I'm good with a manual. Been using them for two decades, never having to replace a clutch BUT I find heel/toe very difficult. I mean, not all peddles are spaced the same, but damn you make it look easy!
If I'm driving too slow, the brakes hit too hard because I have to press far down so I can reach the throttle (I do get sports cars with big brakes).
When I move faster, I have very little time to try the maneuver.
I take cars to open-track days! I'm an "enthusiast," but I can't seem to get this right!! I really wanna master it 😅 It's essential, really.
Your foot placement looks perfect. I feel like I make a goofy foot placement, or something. Im usually not using the best shoes for the job, either.
Maybe I should film my feet as well, to see what I'm doing down there 🤔
Anyway, you speak like teacher. Its nice. I so wish I could get a lesson from you.
Maybe you already have a more in-depth heal/toe video. I'm gonna look!
Thank you so much 🙌
looking forward to get my license next year and this video helped me so much, i didnt have any idea of rev matching and heel toe downshifting, thank you so much for this video keep it up
It was not a good idea to watch this video while driving.
What was the plan bro 😂
😂
😂 please be joking
Bro forgot rule number one😂😭
What happened bro
13:38 this part here, do you press the throttle before or after from 3rd to second
In between, while you are moving the stick from 3rd to 2nd gear and while you have the clutch in, blip the throttle